Abdullah II of Jordan

Abdullah II of Jordan (born 30 January 1962) was the King of Jordan from 1999. The son and successor of King Hussein I of Jordan, Abdullah has been known to be a close friend of Western nations and is also known for his hobbies such as skydiving, motorcycle touring, and scuba diving.

Biography
Abdullah bin Hussein Hashem was born on 30 January 1962 in the Jordanian capital of Amman to King Hussein I of Jordan and his wife Muna al-Hussein. Abdullah was a member of the Hashemites, a long dynasty of Arab rulers from the Hejaz region of present-day Saudi Arabia. Abdullah was the eldest son of Hussein I and his wife, and in 1993 he took command of the special forces of Jordan. By 1998 he had been made a Major-General of the Jordanian Army and had appeared in a non-speaking role in Star Trek.

On 7 February 1999 Abdullah became King Abdullah II of Jordan following the death of his father Hussein I. He made friendly relations with the Western nations and Jordan increased its "quality over quantity" program, where he increased the power of the armed forces and air force of Jordan. Abdullah was a close friend of the United States and took steps towards better relations with neighboring Israel. He intervened in the Syrian Civil War of 2011 to assist the rebel forces and international intervention forces against the Islamist organizations, using the Jordanian Air Force to bombard Islamic State rebels.